Best Friends Deadliest Foes
by EmrysTheMerlin
Summary: The teams routine patrol of Gotham takes a turn for the worse when they run into Poison Ivy and are forced to face their deadliest enemy yet, Robin! Can they survive the one person trained to take them all down? Fem! Robin. Daddy Bats. Angsty team
1. When In Gotham

**Author's Note: This popped into my brain when I was discussing Young Justice and Batman with a friend. This is part of my Fem! Robin universe. This is how the team finds out that Robin has a way to take them all down. Also I have tweaked Ivy's powers so the pheromones work on both males and females. I own nothing. **

Best Friends, Deadliest Foes

1. When In Gotham

They had been on assignment from the Batman to patrol Gotham city. Nothing more, just patrolling stopping minor crimes while the Bat took on the Joker who had recently broken out of Arkham Asylum. He had sent Robin along with them, more to ensure their safety than hers KF knew that but Gotham had always spooked him. Robin ran here nightly but even she knew this town wasn't right. They had only been out for two hours and they'd already stopped three attempted bank robberies, four kidnappings including a one Barbara Gordon whom Robin had insisted on taking home personally, and seven separate muggings. Two hours and they had to stop for a breather. Robin sat there giggling at them. She wasn't even out of breath. But then again she'd been doing this for three years where as they had, as a team only been at the hero gig for about three months. Artemis was the most inexperienced of them. Tonight it was her, Robin, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Superboy. Aqualad had decided to stay behind knowing he would be unable to keep up on a mission like this without stopping to refresh his strength.

Robin was watching the city below as only a bat could. Glancing up into the clouds she spotted it. The bat signal. She motioned to the team.

"Come on guy's breaks over. We got trouble. Serious trouble or the comish wouldn't have turned on the signal. Follow me." Without another word Robin pulled out her grapple gun and swung off towards the source of the light. A rooftop away from the police station where the signal was located Robin paused and waited for them to catch up. They could all clearly see a lone figure standing next to the floodlight that called the capped crusader for aid. He wore a long brown trench coat and glasses, his graying hair blowing in the slight breeze.

"You guys wait here, groups of powers make Gordon nervous. I'll be back." They all nodded and Robin vanished into the darkness of the Gotham night only to reappear moments later on the roof of the police station. The team watched closely but only Superboy could hear them clearly.

"Do you always have to sneak up on me like that Robin?" Robin grinned and flicked off the bat signal.

"It's just what we bats do. The big bat is off taking care of the Joker, but you know that so why the call Commissioner?" Jim Gordon nodded and began.

"They finally got the fires over at Arkham put out and I've got bad news for you. Seems the Joker wasn't the only one to break out yesterday. We've got three more empty cells. Looks like Two Face, Ivy, and the Penguin are all unaccounted for." Robin nodded.

"Penguin and Two Face will wait till Bats gets the Joker back behind bars, they both need the spotlight, it's just how they operate. Any movement from Ivy?" The commissioner shook his head.

"Not yet but we can't find her." Robin nodded flicking on her wrist computer and typing away.

"I hear there are a few new bats in town tonight." Robin shook her head, but kept typing away.

"You heard wrong, they aren't bats. It's training for them, Bats doesn't want me facing up against the Joker after what happened last time so he has me running patrol with the newbie's. "Gordon nodded.

"Truth be told I'm glad. You were in bad shape after that last run in." Robin shrugged, not looking up from her computer.

"I've been worse." The Commissioner nodded looking worried. He opened his mouth to speak but Robin cut across him.

"We've had this conversation before Commissioner. My answer isn't going to change. I know you don't think I can handle myself but I can. I'm young not incompetent."

"I never said that Robin." Jim Gordon sighed and looked down at his feet pulling a cigarette out of his pocket in lieu of something to do.

"Just be careful, none of us want to see you hurt like that again." But when he looked up Robin was already gone, vanished into the night like the bat who had trained her. Gordon sighed lighting his cigarette and puffing smoke out into the night air. He couldn't help but worry about the young crime fighter. Robin had a habit of getting neck deep in trouble and with so many big names on the streets right now the kid was liable to get in over her head. The boy wonder couldn't be older than Barbara and as a father he worried about the capped crusaders young partner.

Moments later Robin reappeared on the roof next to Kid Flash without so much as a sound. Even Superboy jumped when Robin cleared her throat to get their attention. Holding back a smirk Robin pulled up a map of Gotham city on her wrist computer.

"Right there's been a slight change in plans. We are going to be taking a slightly different patrol route. A few rules before we head out." Kid Flash sighed.

"More rules? We spent two hours going over rules at the mountain." Robin glared Wally shut up.

"We weren't aware of three other escapees at the time. Penguin, Two Face and Poison Ivy. Do not engage any of them alone. Penguin and Two Face will be in hiding but Ivy will be up to her grievous gardening already. We find her but do not engage unless absolutely necessary." Robin looked around at the team, stone faced. She was never like that at the mountain, she was a carefree and happy prankster not this stern controlled, well, bat. There really was no other way of putting it. They all nodded. And so they set off once again with Robin leading the way. They were taking a slightly different route, one that took then within spitting distance of all the greenhouses and parks in Gotham. It wasn't until the third one that Robin spotted it.

Robin stopped dead in her tracks and motioned the rest of them to stop and stay low. They did so and robin tapped the side of her head with two fingers, a signal she and M'ggan had worked out earlier. M'ggan immediately nodded and linked them up mentally.

_'__Look, there.'_ Robin pointed towards a few trees that were swaying seemingly in the wind.

_'__what? It's a tree. So what, we passed like sixteen of them.'_ kid flash asked pulling out a protein bar from his pantry.

_'__Yes but the wind is blowing from east to west, so logically the tree should blow the same direction. But this tree is moving north to south. And they are growing take a look.'_ Robin handed over her binoculars to the kid. He peered through them and saw exactly what she was taking about the trees were indeed moving, seemingly of their own accord. He handed back the binoculars and looked at her.

_'__what do we do now?'_ M'ggan was clearly nervous but Superboy was anything but. Without a word he leapt off the roof to land near the greenhouse below with a large crash and accompanying crater. Robin practically growled.

"Did I not specifically say do not engage!?" Robin leapt after Superboy knowing full well the kind of trouble he would get into with the flowery fem fatale. The others followed closely behind the boy wonder. Robin pulled two bird-arangs from her utility belt and threw them, deftly chopping the tree roots that had wrapped themselves around Superboy. He fell a few feet but Robin made no move to catch him he deserved a good fall after not listening to orders. She was about to give more when the plants around them sprang to life crashing through the glass of the greenhouse and dragging them all into the plant filled room. Artemis grunted in pain as the thorns dug into her skin. Robin was bound tighter than the rest, her arms pulled out away from her sides, ankles bound tightly together and mouth covered by a large green vine. The others were too busy trying to free themselves to notice their youngest member's plight.

She was dragged, struggling all the way, through a hedge into a dark corner of the greenhouse while her team members fought the plants that tried to get a good grip on them. Robin tried to call out to M'gann but the mental link seemed to have been cut off somehow. Robin fought harder, worried about M'gann. But she knew that fighting was going to do her no good as soon as she saw the throne like flower out of the corner of the eye as the vines dragged her over the glass covered floor. The pain of the glass digging into her barely registered as she was dragged upright and the flower turned revealing the figure sitting at its center.

"Well well well, a little bird that's fallen from its nest. Whatever will I do with you?" Bright green eyes stared hungrily at the trapped boy wonder as she struggled to pull free of the vines to no avail. Ivy stood walking forward like a cat stalking an injured bird. She reached robin and ran a finger down her masked face. Robin glared, eyes darting towards the length of hedges she had been dragged through where her team was fighting Ivy's plants. Ivy turned the boy wonders head back towards her and grinned.

"Oh don't worry about your little friends. My babies will take care of them but why should they have all the fun. Oh what a lovely idea." Ivy grinned and motioned the vine on Robin's mouth aside. Robin was about to scream for help when ivy blew a fist full of pink dust right into robins face. Robin tried not to breathe in but the vines wrapped around her torso and squeezed hard forcing her to cry out and inhale the dust that swirled in the air. She coughed and sputtered for a moment before going limp in her bonds. Ivy gently lifted Robin's chin with one finger grinning wickedly at the limp teen.


	2. Take Down

**Author's Note: Not much to say here, I own nothing please review!**

2. Take Down

The team regrouped as the plants slackened off their attack. Kid Flash grinned brushing the dirt of off his uniform. Superboy helped M'ggan to her feet, she had been struck pretty hard in the head severing their mental link.

"See Robin that wasn't so hard. Now all we have to do is find Ivy, right? Robin?" Kid Flash looked around and frowned. Artemis was frowning too nursing a few deep cuts.

"Anyone seen Robin at all since Superboy started the fight?" M'ggan shook her head and reached out mentally trying to find their youngest member. She felt something but it was wrong, like Robin's mind was muted or out of reach. She told the team as much and Superboy had the tact to look a bit guilty. They were about to start a search when the villainess they had forgotten about laughed from a tree above them.

"Welcome to my humble forest little kiddies! You seem to be missing a bitty baby bird." The team looked up and saw the flowery fem fatale sitting on a leaf twice her size looking down on them. Superboy growled up at the vine clad redhead. Kid Flash was the one who spoke however.

"What did you do to robin!?" Artemis glared up at Ivy as well grey blue eyes narrowing.

"Yeah give us back our friend!" Ivy laughed loudly.

"Very well you can have him back. Oh Robin!" A leaf just above Ivy unfolded and revealed Robin standing still as a statue. It barely looked like she was breathing at all. The leaf she was on glided on its vine down to Ivy who ran a hand through Robin's ebony hair. Robin didn't even twitch. The whites of her mask were glowing green and she wasn't moving even as Ivy continued to pet her head.

"Such a sweet little bird isn't he. He's a deadly little birdie too! Here I'll show you. Robin my sweet, kill them." Robin looked at her with a blank expression for a moment, then lunged down from the leaf catching the team completely off guard. Before Wally could move Robin hit him with a series of pinpointed hits to specific nerve clusters. He went down like a rock with a cry of surprise. He couldn't move. Robin moved in for the kill when Artemis tackled her away from him. Robin twisted as Superboy and M'ggan went after Ivy, only to be swatted away by her plants.

Robin pulled something from her belt and slapped it on Artemis's arm before twisting out of her grip. The device beeped and arched with electricity. Artemis screamed and writhed on the floor of the greenhouse. Robin turned toward M'ggan next. Superboy growled and lunged at the young crime fighter only to have her use him as a springboard to launch herself into the air and land on a higher branch of the large tree that served as the centerpiece of the greenhouse. Robin threw something from her belt towards Miss Martian. It exploded in mid air and M'ggan screamed as fire rained down on her. Superboy roared with anger as M'ggan passed out on the floor of the greenhouse. He punched the tree so hard branches rained down around him. Robin slipped and plummeted to the ground landing hard with a crack.

She didn't cry out. She just lay there her shoulder, on which she had landed, clearly dislocated. It was Ivy's turn to growl in frustration.

"Get up you useless bird brain! Get up! Finish them!" There was a crash from overhead and the giant shadow of Batman was cast on the floor of the greenhouse. Ivy shrieked in frustration as Robin pulled herself up, one arm dangling uselessly as she charged at Superboy. Batman spared a single glance at the team below, three of whom were laid out on the floor. Kid Flash was beginning to twitch slightly but he couldn't move just yet, Artemis was laid out with several electric burns running up and down her arm. M'ggan was unconscious and burned as well. Batman turned on Ivy and growled.

"Let him go Ivy!" Ivy grinned.

"Why would I do that? He's such the perfect pawn. Forget the baby boy scout, to me my little bird!" Robin changed direction mid flip and grabbed hold of one of the vines Ivy was controlling with her good arm and swung, slightly awkwardly but quickly up to Ivy to stand between her and Batman. Falling into a defensive stance Robin waited for orders. Batman didn't want to fight his protege. But it was looking like there wasn't much of a choice. Ivy glanced at the bat who was reaching for something in his belt. She sighed.

"You know Batman I don't feel like going back to Arkham today. So I think I'll take my leave but before I do, a parting gift for the dynamic duo." Ivy grabbed Robin by the shoulder and spun her around before grasping her chin and kissing her full on the lips. Batman cried out in anger, he knew what Ivy was doing. Her lips were filled with the deadliest mixture of plant venoms known. She released Robin who fell to her knees gasping for air. Black veins spread from her lips up across her face. Batman raced forward but Ivy tipped Robin backwards to fall out if the tree.

Batman dove after his partner without a second thought, he just barely caught her before she hit the ground. She was gasping like a fish out of water as the black veins spread across her entire face and down her neck. Batman grabbed a syringe from his belt and quickly uncapped it. He stabbed the needle into Robin's neck, injecting the anti venom directly into her system. Her breathing eased and she went limp in his arms. The black veins ceased their spreading and began to very slowly recede. The green glow faded leaving the eyes of her mask pure white for a moment before the eyes behind them slipped closed leaving only a sliver of white surrounded by black. Superboy was helping M'ggan to her feet as he glared at the limp form of their team member who had just tried, and nearly succeeded in killing most of them. Kid Flash stumbled to his feet and raced over to Robin.

"What happened? Is he ok?" Kid Flash looked imploringly up at Batman.

"We will have a full debriefing when we get back to the mountain. Miss Martian call the bioship." M'ggan, who had flown them to Gotham in the ship only four hours ago, nodded and did so. The ride back to Mount Justice was silent. Artemis woke up on the way to the bioship and insisted on staggering to the ship by herself. She kept glancing at Robin who still lay unmoving in her mentor's arms. The black veins were slowly receding but Robin looked like she was dying, maybe dead. Artemis knew all about Ivy's deadly lips, she had lived in Gotham her whole life after all. She'd seen people in body bags with the same black veins that were now fading from Robin's face. It was unnerving.

But what was more unnerving was the ease with which Robin had taken them down. They were all unnerved by that. Wally was helping her dress her burns and peel the device off her arm. M'ggan was driving the bioship while Superboy cleaned and wrapped her burns. Superboy kept throwing glares at the still prone Robin. Wally kept glancing at the acrobat but he didn't look mad, he looked upset and worried. None of them spoke as M'ggan pulled the bioship to a stop near the mountain.

"Aqualad, we're back. Could you open the bay doors?" Batman cut across Aqualad's reply.

"And prep the med bay. We have wounded. "the bay doors immediately began to open as Aqualad replied.

"Who was wounded?" Kid Flash rubbed his neck.

"Pretty much everybody Kaldur."

"Very well Red Tornado and I will have stretchers waiting in the landing bay. Aqualad out." True to his word there were stretchers waiting for each of them when M'ggan landed the bioship. Kid Flash raced, clumsily out of the bioship depositing a protesting Artemis on one of the stretchers before hopping onto one himself. He almost had his full freedom of movement back but it was still clumsy and slightly disjointed. Superboy helped M'ggan down the stairs and onto the stretcher glaring at the one that is clearly meant for him. He was fine. Kaldur gasped as Batman carried Robin down the ramp of the bioship.

She was still dead to the world in her mentor's arms. The veins had receded almost completely but they still stood out around Robin's slightly green lips in stark contrast to the paleness of her skin. She looked in bad shape as Batman carefully lay her down on the final stretcher and without a word wheeled the stretcher off towards the med bay. The rest of the team followed closely behind.


	3. So Done

**Author's Note: Three chapters in one day! I think I'm going for a personal record! I own nothing. **

3. So Done

Aqualad looked astonished. The team had only been gone for four hours and yet they all came back horribly injured, with the clear exception of Superboy. Could Gotham really be that dangerous?

When they reached the infirmary Batman set to work quickly, he hooked Robin up to a heart monitor and IV drip. He checked her vitals again, frowning he reached into a compartment on her belt and retrieved another syringe. He carefully injected its contents into the drip before turning to her dislocated shoulder. With quick deft movements he reset her shoulder and wrapped it firmly in place with a length of clean white bandages. She groaned in pain, the pain reaching her even in her unconscious state. Batman nodded seeming to see this as a good thing.

Only when he was finished with his protégé did he turn back to the rest of the team. As menacing as he was it was clear that he did care as he helped Artemis remove what was left of the machine from her arm and properly treat the electrical burns. He then turned to Wally who was trying to wiggle his fingers and toes with mixed success. He turned Wally around and jabbed several nerve clusters.

"Owww!" Wally jumped away from Batman who smirked.

"Hey I can move again! Thanks." He grinned at Batman who turned without a word and walked to a cabinet across the room. He pulled out an unmarked tin and handed it to Miss Martian.

"This will help with the burns." Then he turned back to Robin. Superboy glowered in her direction before turning to help M'ggan. Aqualad looked around. He was clearly missing something.

"What happened? I was under the impression that the team was simply patrolling." Batman nodded his chin resting on his fists. Superboy answered Kaldur's question.

"Robin happened. He was working with Ivy." Aqualad's eyebrows shot up. Batman stood and turned to face Superboy. He was wearing the deadliest of bat glares.

"You clearly haven't been paying attention during your lessons with Canary. She's been teaching you what your potential enemies can do." He was about to continue chewing Conner out when Robin spoke from the bed behind him.

"You can't really blame him. She hasn't gotten to Ivy yet." Batman turned ignoring Superboy in favor of his partner. She was sitting up, leaning on her good arm. Before Batman could speak Superboy turned to Robin.

"That doesn't explain what you did. You had something to take down each of us! You probably have something in that belt to take down me and Kaldur too! You really don't trust any of us. Why are you even on this team if you don't trust us! You won't even tell us your name." Batman glared at Superboy and opened his mouth to speak but Robin beat him to it.

"Fine. If that's what you think of me I'm done." With that she stood, wobbling slightly and walked away. The only sound in the room was the slamming of the door. Wally turned and glared at Superboy.

"Nice one ass hole." He raced off after his best friend. Even M'ggan was looking at him like he'd done something wrong. Batman took a deep breath and turned to face the remainder of the team.

"Meet me in the briefing room in five minutes all of you." He stalked out of the room and Artemis looked around at the team.

"That was worse than the actual fight. At least Robin had an excuse." Superboy turned his glare on her.

"Oh yeah and what's that?" Artemis glared.

"Ivy has the power to control anyone with plant pheromones. Remember how Robin's mask glowed green during the fight? That's the sign that Ivy's in control of someone." M'ggan looked at her confused.

"How do you know that?" Artemis missed a beat before answering.

"I did my research, when Bats told us this morning that we'd be patrolling Gotham I looked up the files on the villains that run there." Aqualad nodded.

"That was quite studious of you. Good work." Artemis looked down rubbing her neck with her uninjured arm. Before anyone else could speak Wally raced back in.

"I can't find Robin anywhere, and the R cycle is gone. There's no telling where he is now." Batman's voice echoed through the halls.

"Team to the briefing room now." He did not sound happy at all.


	4. Debriefed and Depressed

**Author's Note: Sorry this one's so short. I own nothing, please review.**

4. Debriefed and Depressed 

The five remaining team members trudged into the briefing room where Batman stood glowering at them. He looked more threatening than usual. Wally quailed under his bat glare while the rest of them tried their best not to meet his eyes.

"Your performance was abysmal. You could have gotten your team member killed. You allowed yourselves to be separated and none of you could hold your own in a fight against a mind controlled member of your team, let alone free him from said mind control. I might add that it is one of the simplest mind controls to free someone from. All you have to do is wash the powder Ivy uses to control someone off. None of you will be patrolling in Gotham again until I decide you are ready. As to your actions after the battle I am disappointed in all of you." Superboy chose that moment to interrupt.

"Oh yeah you're disappointed in us but what about Robin. He the one keeping secrets from us! He took almost all of us down with barely a fight!" Batman's glare intensified as he turned to face the clone.

"The only reason Robin keeps secrets from you is because I told him to. He keeps his identity a secret because it was my stipulation for allowing him on the team in the first place. I require this of him because it would put many people at risk if Robin's identity was revealed, first and foremost among those people is Robin himself, we have made a lot of enemies all of whom would jump at the chance to hurt and kill Robin and anyone close to him." Superboy opened his mouth but Batman cut across him before he could get a word in.

"As to the tools and training Robin used to take you all down tonight, Robin protested heavily against these things when I first introduced their training into his daily exercises. Robin very nearly quit entirely when I began to require that he carry them around with him daily. However I pointed out that I have had to take down rouge or mind controlled members of the Justice League on multiple occasions. I gave Robin no choice in the matter." Wally was watching his feet. He felt a little guilty; he knew the truth about Robin. He knew that part of her training was to train against the Justice League and the team or at the very least simulations of them. He also knew her name and what she really looked like under the mask. He knew her biggest secret, that the Boy Wonder wasn't really a boy at all.

Superboy looked slightly guilty as well, looking down at his feet. M'ggan rubbed one of the bandages on her arm, Artemis looked angry which was really her version of upset. Kaldur however looked determined.

"We need to find Robin and apologize." The rest of the team nodded. Superboy called Wolf and they set off in search of their youngest member.

Batman sat back in his chair and smirked lightly. They would have a hell of a time finding Robin, the search in and of itself could be considered punishment but he would have to talk to Black Canary about stepping up their training and their lessons about major villains. He would also have her talk to Superboy about his attitude. Thinking about it Clark had pulled something similar when they had founded the Justice League. It was only after Bruce revealed his identity that he had finally let it go. Batman just hoped it wouldn't come to that this time around.


	5. In The Graveyard

**Author's Note: I would like to thank Annabeth97 for being the first one to review this story. Some Birdflash in this chapter. As usual all reviews are welcome. Criticism makes me a better writer! Let me know what you think. I own nothing! **

5. In The Graveyard

They searched Happy Harbor for hours and found no sign of their youngest member. It wasn't until about six in the morning that Wally got the idea. They piled back into the bioship and headed for Gotham. Wally had them land about a mile away. Artemis thought the idea was stupid.

"Why would Robin go hang out in a graveyard after a near death experience?" Wally snapped his goggles over his eyes and turned to the entrance of the ship.

"Better question, why wouldn't Robin go hang out in a graveyard after a near death experience?" Artemis glared at Wally and Superboy shook his head.

"Baywatch that makes no sense!" Artemis was yelling again. Wally sighed trying to figure out what to tell the team. He decided on a measured amount of the truth.

"Listen, I've known Robin longer than any of you. Even you Kaldur, and as such I have become privy to some… top secret information." Artemis cut across him.

"You know Robin's ID." He sighed and nodded. Everyone looked at him with a mix of awe and anger.

"How come you get to know Robin's ID?" M'ggan looked over at Superboy who was doing his best to keep a level head. Wally sighed.

"I figured it out. All on my own. I've never asked Robin this but the circumstances were pretty odd. It was almost too easy to figure it out. I think Bats meant for me to figure it out. I think he wanted Robin to have someone to talk to and I was the only other sidekick at the time. Then a few months later Speedy and Bats didn't trust Green Arrow at the time, cause he had a bit of a bad rep for a while. As far as I know Robin has never told anyone his identity. Everyone had to figure it out for themselves, or Bats told them." Superboy looked slightly mollified but still angry, but that was almost his default expression anyway so Wally turned back to the hatch door. It opened to allow him to go find his best friend but before he could Aqualad laid a hand on his shoulder.

"That does not explain why Robin would be here." Wally's green eyes looked up at the taller boy sadness in their depths.

"We live in a dangerous world. Robin knows that better than most. I… I can't tell you exactly why he's here but this tends to be where he goes when he can't talk to anyone else. He… I can't tell you. It's his secret and it has to be his decision to let you in on it." Aqualad nodded. Wally paused.

"It might actually be a good idea if you guys came too but you have to stop when I tell you to." Artemis looked mutinous.

"It's not about me this time it's about Robin." After a tense pause Artemis nodded and the group set off. It took them about ten minutes for the group to reach the Gotham cemetery. The place gave even Artemis the creeps. It was too quiet. After spending four hours patrolling the city they had found that Gotham really was what Superman had described it. A nightmare constructed of metal and stone. So what would the burial place of that city be like?

Wally spotted his best friend first and almost breathed a sigh of relief, not just at the fact that she was there but also because they had come from the wrong direction and the names on the stones were facing away from the team. He stopped behind a large oak tree and motioned to the team to stay put. Wolf whined at him and he scratched him behind the ears before making his way over to the set of tombstones Robin sat between. Her back was turned to him but she knew he was there, she was Robin, she always knew.

"Did you tell them?" Wally shook his head and then realized that despite acting like it Robin did not in fact have eyes in the back of her head.

"No. Not my secret to tell." He walked over to her. Her back had been turned to them which was good because for the first time in months she wasn't wearing her sunglasses. The dark, lead lined shades were sitting on the ground next to her and her robin's egg blue eyes were bloodshot. He knelt down in front of her. She had been crying, but right now she just looked empty.

"We were ass holes Rob, especially Superboy. Are you ok?" Diane nodded.

"Antidote is fast acting, I'll be staying away from my veggies for a while though. I'm fine." Wally caught her wrist as she went to wipe her eyes again.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Diane looked down at the sunglasses in front of her, sitting innocently between her and Wally like the barrier that they were. They were a wall between her and the rest of the world.

"I'm just tired KF. I'm tired of lying. No that's not even it, I can handle the lying. I'm tired of not being trusted. I haven't felt trusted since I lost them! Bats barely trusts me. I don't know if his identity trusts me half the time, he treats me like I'm still nine! And the team has every right to not trust me. That's what hurts worst, Conner was right." Diane pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. Wally almost didn't hear the sob. He didn't hesitate, he leaned in and hugged his best friend. He didn't know how to fix this one.

"I can't fix this one Diane, you know that. But if it makes you feel better, I trust you. I know that you keep secrets but I also know you have reasons. I trust you." She hugged him back and sobbed into his shoulder for a few minutes. Wally leaned in a bit to get more comfortable and heard a snapping sound. Both of them froze as Wally backed off and looked down at the now broken pair of sunglasses that rested between them. Diane laughed, it was wet and came out sounding a bit like a hiccup but it made Wally smile slightly as he picked up the ruined glasses. One of the lenses had splintered under his knee. A piece of dark glass fell out of the frame and Wally grimaced.

"Bats is gonna kill me isn't he?" Diane laughed, not her creepy ninja laugh but the laugh he almost never heard. It made him grin.

"Only a little, but I'm always prepared." She reached into her hoodie, he had hardly noticed that she was in her usual civilian disguise, the one she wore around the team, and pulled out a second pair of identical dark shades. She looked at them for a moment before slipping them on, hiding bloodshot blue behind the safety of wall of lead lined glass. She stood and he held out the broken glasses. She shook her head.

"Keep them. Souvenir." She grinned and rested a hand on each gravestone before walking towards the tree that hid the rest of the team. Wally grinned and looked at the stones.

"You raised a hell of a kid. I hope you know that, she's the strongest person I know." The stones stared blankly back their inscriptions the only real decoration on the grey rock.

_John Grayson_

_Loving Father_

_Mary Grayson_

_Beloved Mother_


	6. Back In Play FINAL CHAPTER

**Author's Note: FINAL CHAPTER! Loving the reviews! You guys rock. I own nothing! Please review!**

6. Back In Play

Superboy had his ears plugged trying not to listen to Robin and Kid Flash talk but he had caught a few things. He'd heard her cry, heard her mention 'them'. He could only assume they were the ones buried under the stones Robin had been sitting between. Artemis was trying not to laugh at him while M'ggan and Kaldur watched the exchange between their ninja and speedster. Wolf was the first one to react when Robin stood and walked towards them. He barked happily and raced forward, if it was any one else he would have knocked them off their feet but Robin just dodged slightly to the left and let the oversized wolf lick her face. By some miracle he didn't knock her sunglasses off.

"You guys can come out. I know you're there." Kaldur flinched and looked at the others who all looked ashamed of themselves to varying degrees. M'ggan was the first one to step out from behind the tree. She carefully stepped out from behind the tree and stood looking down at her feet. Artemis followed looking anywhere but at Robin who was still scratching Wolf behind the ears. Kaldur came out from behind the tree and tried to look at Robin but he noticed the tear tracks running down her face and couldn't bring himself to look her in the face knowing that they were the reasons those tears existed. Superboy was last out from behind the tree. He had his arms crossed over his chest and looked stubborn.

"Before any of you start let me say something. I should have briefed you better on Ivy's powers before we went off looking for her. That was my bad. I was being a bit of a hot head. I was upset with Batman for not letting me go up against the Joker. I was rash and not as thorough as I should have been. Had I properly informed you of Ivy's powers none of this would have happened. I am sorry." The team stared. Robin had apologized. That never happened, and what was worse was the fact that Robin had nothing to apologize for.

"Can we just put this incident behind us, cause I have school in like two hours and I'd like to get at least an hour's worth of sleep before hand." The team stood stunned. Robin seemed to take that as a yes because she grinned and turned to walk away. Conner was quicker than her though and caught her by the arm.

"I'm sorry." Robin smiled.

"It's ok Supey. You had a point, I wish I could tell you the truth but I can't. Not yet." Superboy nodded and let go of her arm. She grinned at the team and walked away, back the way she had come. About halfway back to the tombstones she spun on her heel and waved.

"See you in training tomorrow." With that she spun back around and scooped up her helmet from beside the tombstones she had been sitting between. She held it under her arm and walked toward the front gate of the cemetery where she had no doubt parked her bike. Kaldur shook his head slightly. They were never going to truly understand the boy wonder but he could deal with that. As long as she was their friend it would be alright, but they would have to tread carefully around the topic of secret identities from now on.

"We should be getting back to the mountain. Conner and I have school tomorrow too." M'ggan said looking after their youngest member. Artemis was going school shopping with her mother tomorrow. Gotham academy had sent her the uniform already, which she was distressed to discover was like every private school uniform ever, a white button up, a blazer and a mini skirt. She couldn't exactly tell the team that though, it was just good to know that she wasn't the only one keeping secrets on the team. But everyone knew that Robin was, she couldn't let anyone know.

"Hey Artemis! Earth to Arty!" She glared at Wally.

"What Baywatch?"

"I asked if you wanted me to drop you off in Star City on my way to Central. I'm going that way anyway." She nodded even though it would then take her even longer to get home, she couldn't let them know just yet that she wasn't Green Arrow's niece.

"Yeah. Thanks, Baywatch." He rolled his eyes and picked her up speeding off after waving to Conner, M'ggan and Kaldur. The three of them walked back to the bioship in silence contemplating the day's events.

Batman had waited up for Robin who drove into the Batcave at about six thirty in the morning, missing her regular curfew of sunrise. But he supposed he could forgive her just this once. It had been a rough day after all. She parked her bike in its proper place and pulled off her helmet. She laid it on the seat of the R cycle and turned to look at him. She was wearing her spare sunglasses he noted.

"How did it go?" She shrugged as she hung up her black jacket and pulled off her hoodie revealing the tank top beneath.

"Superboy apologized, so that's good. I visited mom and dad." Bruce nodded, he had expected that, it was where she, where Diane Grayson went when she felt alone.

"Did they suspect anything?" Robin shook her head as she removed her sunglasses and placed them in the pocket of her black coat.

"Nope, Wally saw me without my sunglasses but he already knows so that's not a bad thing. The rest of them stayed behind that old oak tree." Bruce nodded, he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"So everything has been cleared up." Diane nodded and rubbed her eyes.

"Good, then go get some sleep. Alfred will wake you up for lunch." Diane grinned and he ruffled her hair as she walked past him up the stairs that lead to the grandfather clock entrance to the Batcave.

"Night Bruce!"

"Night Diane." Alfred watched this interaction with a small smile. They might both be a bit stunted when it came to emotions but they did care about each other. He was glad he could be there for them as he came forward out of the shadows with Bruce's morning coffee. Things would soon be back to normal, or at least as normal as it got for the Dynamic Duo.


End file.
